The Kenya men's national cricket team represents the Republic of Kenya in international cricket. Kenya is an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has Twenty20 International (T20I) status after the ICC granted T20I status to all its members.
They have been an associate member of the ICC since 1981. Since then they have played in five Cricket World Cups from 1996 to 2011 with their best result being a bronze medal finish as the semi-final appearance at the 2003 Cricket World Cup in Southern Africa. They have only qualified for one ICC World Twenty20 tournament, in 2007. The Kenyan national team is governed by Cricket Kenya.
Kenya gained One Day International (ODI) status in 1996 in preparation for the 1996 Cricket World Cup and would have it for eighteen years before losing it at the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier where they finished in the fifth place. Recently they competed in the African Continental and emerged winners of the 2026 edition, this is their first title since the inauguration of the tournament. Kenya is set to play the qualifiers round for the upcoming 2028 T20 World Cup after being promoted from the sub regional round.
Current squad This lists all active players who featured for Kenya in the current series held in Jersey. Updated as of 31 August 2025. Name Age Batting style Bowling style NotesBattersPushkar Sharma24Left-handedLeft-arm mediumDhiren Gonderia30Right-handedRight-arm off breakCaptainSachin Bhudia31Right-handedRight-arm mediumJasraj Kundi26Right-handedRight-arm mediumAll-roundersNelson Odhiambo36Right-handedRight-arm mediumRakep Patel36Right-handedRight-arm off breakWicketkeeperSukhdeep Singh24Right-handed -Spin bowlersShem Ngoche36Right-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxVraj Patel23Left-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxVishil Patel20Right-handedRight-arm leg breakPace bowlersLucas Oluoch34Right-handedLeft-arm mediumVice-captainPeter Langat31Right-handedRight-arm mediumFrancis Mutua23Right-handedRight-arm mediumTanzeel Sheikh29Right-handedRight-arm medium
History East Africa team Full article: East Africa cricket team
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda combined to form the East Africa cricket team, which became an associate member of the ICC in 1966.East Africa at Cricket Archive They continued playing amongst themselves, and were joined by Zambia in a quadrangular tournament played annually between 1966 and 1980.A history of Kenyan cricket
India toured East Africa in 1967India in East Africa, 1967 at Cricket Archive and played a three-day match against Kenya on 5 August, which was drawn.Scorecard of Kenya v India match, 5 August 1967 at Cricket Archive Various tours of, and by, East Africa continued, including a tour of England in 1972East Africa in England, 1972 at Cricket Archive and a first-class match between East Africa and the MCC at Nairobi Gymkhana Club in 1974Scorecard of East Africa v MCC match, 18 January 1974 at Cricket Archive before East Africa took part in the first Cricket World Cup.
The 1975 Cricket World Cup took place in England, and East Africa was one of two non-test teams invited to the tournament, the other being Sri Lanka.World Cup 1975 at Cricket Archive Kenya provided half of the fourteen-man squad for the tournament. After warm-up matches against Somerset, Wales, Glamorgan and various club teams, they played in the same first round group as England, India and New Zealand, losing to all three. The World Cup was followed by a first-class match against Sri Lanka at the County Ground, Taunton.Scorecard of East Africa v Sri Lanka match, 23 June 1975 at Cricket Archive
East Africa then took part in the 1979 ICC Trophy, the first ICC Trophy tournament, but did not progress beyond the first round, thus missing out on qualification for the 1979 World Cup.1979 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive
ICC membership Long considered the strongest part of the East African cricket team, Kenya broke away in 1981 and joined the ICC in their own right as an associate member,Kenya at Cricket Archive shortly after a tour of Zimbabwe in 1980/81. They played two three-day matches against Zimbabwe on that tour, losing both.Kenya in Zimbabwe , 1980/81 at Cricket Archive Kenya played in the ICC Trophy in their own right in 1982,1982 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive 1986,1986 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive and 1990,1990 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive also playing their first first-class match against Pakistan B in September 1986.Scorecard of Kenya v Pakistan B match, 12 September 1986 at Cricket Archive
1996 World Cup The 1994 ICC Trophy was hosted in Nairobi and Kenya finished as runners-up to the UAE, thus qualifying for the 1996 World Cup.1994 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive Kenya then played at home against India A in August 1995,India A in Kenya , 1995 at Cricket Archive and went on a tour to South Africa in September/October that year,Kenya in South Africa , 1995/96 at Cricket Archive before playing in the World Cup, which was to bring Kenyan cricket to a much wider audience, and catapult them into the spotlight.
Kenya was in the same group as Australia, India, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.1996 World Cup at Cricinfo They played their very first ODI match against India.
In what at the time was described as the most startling upsets in the history of the World Cup, Kenya bowled out the West Indies for just 93 and won by 73 runs.
The Kenya national team arrived in India for its maiden World Cup, having players like Steve Tikolo, Maurice Odumbe and Thomas Odoyo. The team was expected to be crushed by the full member teams in its group and this proved to be correct in most of their matches. But the highlights of their campaign was beating former World Champions the West Indies in a low-scoring affair.
ODI status
Following their World Cup performance, Kenya were given full ODI status by the ICC, and hosted a quadrangular tournament against Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka in September/October 1996.Sameer Cup at Cricket Archive The Netherlands toured in December, playing four one-day matches, with the Kenyans winning them all.Netherlands in Kenya , 1996 at Cricket Archive They played in the quarter finals of South Africa's Standard Bank Cup in March 1997, losing to Natal by 104 runs at Kingsmead.Scorecard of Natal v Kenya match, 12 March 1997 at Cricket Archive Following this was the 1997 ICC Trophy, hosted in Malaysia.1997 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive Kenya reached the final, where they lost to Bangladesh by two wickets.Scorecard of Bangladesh v Kenya, 1997 ICC Trophy Final, 12 April 1997 at Cricket Archive This was followed by a tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in October the same year in Nairobi.KCA President's Cup 1997 at Cricket Archive
England A were the first opposition in 1998, touring Kenya in January. The three-day match ended in a draw, while England A won the only one-day match that wasn't abandoned due to the weather.England A in Kenya 1997 at Cricket Archive After this was another spot in the quarter final of the Standard Bank Cup, this time losing to Gauteng by 8 wickets.Scorecard of Gauteng v Kenya match, 14 January 1998 at Cricket Archive Kenya visited India in May, playing a triangular ODI series against Bangladesh and India.Coca-Cola Triangular Series 1998 at Cricket Archive In the final match of the round-robin stage, Kenya pulled off an upset by beating India by 69 runs.Scorecard of India v Kenya match, 28 May 1998 at Cricket Archive
Kenya then competed in the cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Drawn in the same first round group as New Zealand, Pakistan and Scotland, Kenya only beat the Scots, and finished third in the points table for the group.1998 Commonwealth Games cricket tournament at Cricket Archive
Kenya warmed up for the 1999 World Cup with a triangular series in Bangladesh against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.Meril International Tournament 1999 at Cricket Archive In the 1999 World Cup itself, they were placed in the same first round group as England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Following warm-up games against Somerset, Gloucestershire and Glamorgan, they lost all five of their games in the tournament proper.1999 World Cup at Cricket Archive Following the World Cup, they played a quadrangular tournament at home against India, South Africa and Zimbabwe, again losing all their games.LG Cup 1999 at Cricket Archive
The 21st century started for Kenya with a visit to Zimbabwe to play in the ICC Emerging Nations Tournament against Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland and Zimbabwe A. Kenya won the tournamentEmerging Nations Tournament at Cricket Archive and took this form onto a seven-match tour of India on which they lost just one game.Kenya in India 2000 at Cricket Archive Pakistan A toured Kenya in July, playing a five match one-day series and a four-day first-class match. The four-day match was drawn, and Kenya won the one-day series 4–1.Pakistan A in Kenya 2000 at Cricket Archive The 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy was played in Nairobi in October, with Kenya falling to India at the first hurdle.2000 ICC KnockOut at Cricket Archive
The first opponents for Kenya in 2001 were Sri Lanka A, who toured Kenya in January, playing two first-class matches and four one-day matches. Both first-class matches were drawn, and Sri Lanka A won the first two one-day games, with the final two being abandoned.Sri Lanka A in Kenya 2001 at Cricket Archive The West Indies came in August for two first-class games and a three-match ODI series. The first first-class game was won by the West Indies, with the second being drawn, and the three ODIs all went the way of the visitors.West Indies in Kenya 2001 at Cricket Archive Kenya then played an ODI triangular tournament in South Africa in October, against India and the hosts,Standard Bank Triangular Tournament 2001 at Cricket Archive and picked up a second ODI win over India.Scorecard of India v Kenya ODI, 17 October 2001 at Cricket Archive
Zimbabwe A toured Kenya towards the end of the year, losing a first-class series 1–0 and a one-day series 3–2.Zimbabwe A in Kenya 2001 at Cricket Archive Kenya toured Sri Lanka in early 2002, playing three first-class and three one-day matches against Sri Lanka A. Sri Lanka A won all three of the first-class games, but Kenya won the one-day series 2–1.Kenya in Sri Lanka 2002 at Cricket Archive The MCC toured Kenya shortly after this, playing one three-day match and six one-day matches against the national team. Five of the one-day matches went the way of the Kenyans before the sixth one-day match and the three-day match were abandoned.MCC in Kenya 2002 at Cricket Archive Kenya then played in the ICC 6 Nations Challenge tournament in Windhoek, Namibia, playing against Canada, Namibia, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka A and Zimbabwe A.2002 ICC 6 Nations Challenge at Cricket Archive Kenya won the tournament, beating Sri Lanka A by 3 wickets in the final.Scorecard of Kenya v Sri Lanka A match, 14 April 2002 at Cricket Archive In August/September, Kenya hosted an ODI triangular tournament against Australia and Pakistan, losing all four of their matches.Kenya PSO Tri-Nation Tournament 2002 at Cricket Archive This was followed by a place in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, though Kenya lost to the West Indies and South Africa, failing to progress beyond the first round.2002 ICC Champions Trophy at Cricket Archive
Namibia toured Kenya in November, playing four one-day games. Kenya won the series 2–1, with one game being abandoned.Namibia in Kenya 2002 at Cricket Archive Kenya then toured Zimbabwe to round off the year, playing three one-day matches against Zimbabwe A, and a three-match ODI series against the full Zimbabwean team. Zimbabwe won the ODI series 2–0, with one match finishing in a no result, and Zimbabwe A won their series against Kenya 2–1.Kenya in Zimbabwe 2002 at Cricket Archive
2003 World Cup and decline